The Boston waterfront has never looked better. Despite the frightful heat, families from near and far can be found by Boston Harbor – visiting the aquarium, hopping on harbor cruise boats and a giant speedboat called Godzilla, splashing in fountains on the greenway, or enjoying a leisurely stroll or lunch by the water.
Fifteen years ago this scene was unimaginable. The Big Dig had not happened and the waterfront was a gritty work in progress, home to the aquarium and a few restaurants but cut off from downtown and not an inviting destination.
I bring this up because of the latest figures on Big Dig costs released by state officials last week. The final cost is now pegged at $24.3 billion, which includes interest payments that will continue through 2038.
The new numbers produced the usual reaction to any Big Dig story, ranging from hand wringing to fulmination. As the nation’s most expensive highway project, the Big Dig is a favored example of alleged overspending. In Massachusetts, it is blamed for all the state’s transportation woes. We’re told we can’t fix bridges or highways because we are still paying for the Big Dig. Improvements in mass transit – many of which are tied to the Big Dig project – are delayed because of the continuing interest payments on the main work. Legislators from outside Greater Boston are chanting again that their constituents shouldn’t be paying for a Boston project.
Enough already. Let’s look behind the dollar signs. The Big Dig is a marvel, even considering the construction problems that have surfaced since the project officially concluded in 2007. Traffic jams still occur in Boston but nothing like those on the elevated Central Artery and en route to and from Logan Airport when the only access was through the Sumner and Callahan Tunnels. A trip from the South Shore to Logan, which on weekdays was a crawl and stall through the tunnel, is now a breeze.
The birth of a new Boston waterfront is not just a boon for tourists. The Seaport District finally is taking off. A few years ago the Institute of Contemporary Art was a lonely addition near the federal courthouse. Now the area is filled with new restaurants, a neighborhood of galleries and 1,700 new apartments built or planned. The new housing is a lure for young college grads especially; they have been leaving Boston in large part because of expensive housing costs and a dearth of apartments close to downtown offices.
All this means more business – housing and entertainment dollars that add more money to the state’s bottom line. A good chunk of that money goes back to the cities and towns in the form of local aid, something lawmakers conveniently forget when they rail against what they call a Boston project. The capital city will always be the state’s primary economic engine, so what’s good for Boston is good for residents from Plymouth to the Berkshires.
Problems associated with the Big Dig are significant and should not be ignored. Sadly, it took the death of a passenger in a car passing through a tunnel in 2006 to expose shoddy construction and poor oversight. Leaks and other problems continue to arise.
But considering the enormity of the project, perfection was never a realistic goal. In a decade-long endeavor that involved 5,000 workers a day at its height, just four construction workers were killed. That’s impressive. And the city was never shut down while the digging went on – removing an elevated highway, the city’s main north-south artery; constructing tunnels under the ocean and beneath the city and building a signature bridge that puts a modern stamp on Boston’s skyline.
When I was at the harbor front on the Fourth of July, I heard many visitors refer to Boston as a cool place. That’s another byproduct of the Big Dig. Boston has always been a great place to visit or to live because of its history and its accessibility on foot. But opening up the waterfront sent the old city soaring on the fun index.
I remain delighted with The Big Dig. It was a long-term investment and a wise one and the benefits to the commonwealth will be felt for generations to come.
JoAnn Fitzpatrick can be reached at joannftzptrick@yahoo.com.